In its proposed Budget Views and Estimates for FY12 (see article elsewhere in Memo),
the House Financial Services Committee asserts that the National
Housing Trust Fund duplicates other Federal housing programs, such as
the HOME Investment Partnership program, that provide grants to state
and local governments to be used for increasing home ownership and
affordable housing opportunities for low and very low income Americans.

The NHTF Campaign sent a letter to Committee Chairman Spencer
Bachus (R-AL) and Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee
Chairwoman Judy Biggert (R-IL) expressing concern about this statement.
In the letter, the campaign detailed the several ways that the NHTF is
different from the HOME program, and pointed out that the level of
funding for current federal low income housing programs was woefully
less than the need. The campaign requested that change to this language
when the Committee marks up its Views and Estimates on March 15, 2011.